MTA Installs Three ADA Elevators at Forest Hills-71 Av Station in Queens

May 09th, 2014

Forest Hills customers with limited mobility have easier access to the , , and trains with three new elevators installed for their use. MTA New York City Transit President Carmen Bianco presided over a ribbon-cutting ceremony today to mark the completion of the vital project that now allows customers in Queens to to reach the Forest Hills-71st Av station from the street level to both northbound and southbound platforms. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) also installed ADA boarding areas with tactile warning strips and signage, and reconstructed platform edges to comply with all ADA requirements.

One elevator provides ADA access from the street at the intersection of Queens Boulevard’s south service road and 70th Road, and connects to the station’s mezzanine. The other two elevators connect the mezzanine with the northbound and southbound platforms for the local and express tracks.

“Today’s ribbon-cutting marks our continuing commitment to make the system accessible to customers with limited mobility,” Bianco said. “This station was a priority for us given its high ridership and key transfer point for customers along the Queens Boulevard Line.”

The Forest Hills-71 Av station, which is the fifth busiest out of 78 stations in Queens, serves more than 27,000 weekday customers. The three elevators and installation of other ADA-compliant work were part of a $24.7 million project. In addition, NYC Transit is in the process of modernizing and improving the reliability of the Union Turnpike, 71st Avenue and Roosevelt Avenue-Jackson Heights Interlockings on the Queens Boulevard Line. This $310.7 million project is necessary for the planned implementation of Communications Based Train Control (CBTC) on the Queens Boulevard Line.

The completion of this ADA-compliance project brings the number of accessible stations under the Americans with Disabilities Act to 12 in Queens and 81 overall in the New York City Transit system. Another ADA project has begun at the Ozone Park-Lefferts Blvd station on the line and is scheduled for completion in 2016.